1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of controlling an automatic transmission device applied to vehicles, and more particularly, to a flap type electronic automatic transmission lever control method for more efficiently and safely operating an electronic automatic transmission lever constituted in a flap type.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, an automatic transmission applied to a vehicle has a transmission mode that is operated in order, such as a P stage, an R stage, an N stage, a D stage, and other stages, and in the case of a vehicle equipped with the automatic transmission in which a transmission stage is automatically changed depending on the speed or the like of the vehicle during driving, a transmission lever which enables a driver to artificially change the transmission mode of an automatic transmission depending on driving conditions is installed.
A driver of a vehicle to which an automatic transmission is applied is configured to selectively operate the transmission mode of the automatic transmission to modes such as parking (P stage), reverse (R stage), neutral (N stage), and driving (D stage), depending on the driving conditions, by operating the transmission lever.
Conventionally, tiptronic type mode switching devices have been mainly used in which the transmission lever operated by the driver is directly connected to the automatic transmission via a mechanical mechanism to directly transmit the operating force applied to the transmission lever to the automatic transmission, thereby adjusting the transmission mode.
However, in the conventional transmission mode switching device for automatic transmission in which the transmission mode is switched through the mechanical mechanism as described above, since it has been necessary to directly apply force required for adjusting the transmission mode when switching the mode through the transmission lever, convenience of driving is lowered, and since the transmission lever is installed at the center of a console on a side of a driver's seat, it has become a factor that decrease the utilization of the interior space of the automobile.
Thus, a transmission lever for an electronic automatic transmission configured so that when only small operating force is applied, by being operated by a direction and the amount of displacement set in advance, after an electronic control unit detects the direction of movement and the amount of displacement, for example, a working medium such as an actuator or an electric motor can change the transmission mode of the automatic transmission have been developed.
However, since the developed transmission lever for the electronic automatic transmission is also similar to the conventional mechanical transmission lever in an operation type, by adopting a method of operating the lever back and forth, it is hard to believe that there is a great advantage, since there is a large space occupied by the transmission lever, and ancillary devices of the transmission lever, a storage space of a cup holder or the like, and a space to install a button capable of performing a specific function are insufficient, the transmission lever protrudes upward, and thus, there is a risk of serious injury due to collision or the head and the body of the driver or the passenger at the time of accident.
In addition, there are also problems in that the beauty is not good due to the projected shape of transmission lever, the transmission stage display function of the transmission lever side is vulnerable, and thus the driver is hard to easily recognize the transmission stage.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.